1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for correcting recognition results of imaged regions by image recognition processing performed on a plurality of medical tomographic images. The invention also relates to a computer readable recording medium having a program for causing a computer to perform the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the speed and performance, e.g., multi-slice capability of imaging modalities, such as CT, MRI and the like are improved, it has become possible to image a plurality of regions of a subject by one series of imaging and to obtain several hundreds to several thousands of tomographic images. This alleviates the burden felt by the subject because the subject does not have to have imaged several times with respect to each region and also the overall imaging time is reduced. On the other hand, radiological readers, such as image diagnosticians, who perform radiological reading on the obtained images, it is often the case that different doctors perform radiological reading and diagnosis on different target regions. Consequently, the radiological reader of each region must search for and find only those necessary for reading from multitudes of images including a plurality of regions, and perform radiological reading and diagnosis, which increases the time and effort required of them.
Consequently, a system which is expected to help alleviate the burden on both sides is proposed as described, for example, in “CT Workflow in a PACS Environment” by Wayne DeJarnette, et al., [online], Jan. 7, 2005, Dejanette Research Systems Inc., [retrieved date, Mar. 27, 2007], Internet <URL:http://www.dejarnette.com/TempFiles/%5CCT%20Workflow%20in% 20a%20PACS%20Environment.pdf>. In the system, individual imaging orders (work lists) for a plurality of regions are consolidated, and a plurality of tomographic images including a plurality of regions is obtained by an imaging modality (multi-slice CT equipment) through one series of imaging according to the consolidated work list. Thereafter, a predetermined image analysis is performed on each of the plurality of tomographic images to recognize a region represented by each image, then the plurality of images is divided in the order of imaging according to the recognized regions, and the plurality of tomographic images is stored in an image database (PACS Archive) with respect to each region.
As for the method of recognizing a region represented by each tomographic image, a template matching method as described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-253539, a method using a characteristic image of each region as described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-10166, or the like is known.
Results of the image analyses described above, however, may sometimes include recognition errors, so that radiologists, image diagnosticians, or the like have to check each tomographic image and the region recognition result thereof and correct errors one by one, which is a great burden on them.
The present invention has been developed in view of the circumstances described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method capable of correcting results of region recognition in each tomographic image more easily. It is another object of the present invention to provide a computer readable recording medium having a program for correcting results of region recognition recorded therein.